The Genius Hitter Who Conquered America - Chapter 32

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 32
The second inning concluded without either team scoring, as both pitchers found their rhythm and settled into the game.
Then came the top of the third.
The score remained 2:0.
The Quakes held the lead.
Soo-ho stepped up as the leadoff batter.
[Stepping into the Batter’s Box once again is number one batter, Oh Soo-ho!]
[The first inning was truly a one-man show by Oh Soo-ho.]
[That bunt single was quite impressive.]
[I found his defense even more impressive.]
[So both his offense and defense were impressive? That’s the highest praise, isn’t it?]
[Haha. Indeed. The thing is, this player is absolutely on fire right now. I’m eager to see if he can put on another great performance!]
As Soo-ho entered the Batter’s Box, a sign came from the Sixty-Sixers’ Dugout.
At that signal, both the First Baseman and Third Baseman shifted forward.
It was exactly as Soo-ho had anticipated before the game.
‘Just as I thought—they’re guarding against the bunt.’
So there was only one option left.
Drive the ball hard.
That would be more than enough to record a hit in his second at-bat.
Soo-ho studied the pitcher.
The pitcher’s pale, alabaster skin had become blotchy and flushed.
‘Westerners really are easy to read, aren’t they?’
He was broadcasting his emotions so openly.
He was seething with anger.
Of course, a Major League pitcher would have the discipline to conceal such feelings.
‘But this isn’t the Major League, is it?’
And indeed, the pitcher was trembling with rage.
He felt humiliated by the tricks Soo-ho had pulled in the first inning.
Of course, he had found a solution now.
The First Baseman and Third Baseman were now playing up.
There was no way he could bunt in this situation.
So there was only one thing to worry about.
‘The exit velocity of the ball.’
It didn’t matter.
With his overwhelming fastball, he was confident the batter wouldn’t make solid contact.
‘In the previous at-bat, he barely managed to touch it with a bunt.’
Normally, his pitches were untouchable for anyone below Casey Meyer’s level.
But was this black-haired Asian player at that level?
‘Absolutely not.’
The chances of him making contact with his fastball were less than fifty-fifty—more like one in four.
The Pitcher fixed Soo-ho with a predatory glare before entering his wind-up.
He clenched his fist as if to confirm that the ball he’d thrown with every ounce of his strength had been perfectly placed.
‘There’s no way he can hit this.’
Then.
Whoosh!
Soo-ho’s bat came through.
‘Wait, hold on.’
The Pitcher first doubted his own eyes.
Soo-ho’s bat speed defied imagination.
He’d known the bat speed was impressive.
But seeing it live in a game was a completely different dimension from watching footage.
Next, he found himself doubting his ears as well.
The sound of the bat cutting through the air was like a typhoon tearing through the stadium.
Since he’d been hitting nothing but ground balls constantly, he’d honestly thought there was a problem with his swing.
But a problem?
It was a perfect swing.
‘Damn it.’
Crack!
A violent explosion of sound shook the stadium.
The ball was another ground ball.
The reason Soo-ho kept hitting nothing but ground balls was simple.
He still wasn’t accustomed to the new mechanism.
Since it was a full-body technique, the power transferred through the bat was far greater than when he’d swung with just his arms before.
Naturally, this meant his bat control left something to be desired.
But it wasn’t a problem worth worrying about immediately.
After all, Soo-ho had always planned to improve his issues one step at a time.
Moreover, the improvement was already showing in the results.
This ground ball took its first bounce near the Second Baseman before rocketing toward right-center like a bullet.
The fact that each successive bounce was carrying the ball farther from the Batter’s Box.
He was gradually approaching a solid hit.
‘Damn!’
The Pitcher spun around in panic.
The Outfielder gave chase, but it was already too late.
The ball rolled swiftly toward the Outfield Fence.
‘I’m giving up a double on a ground ball?’
But there was something else to be shocked about.
Screech!
Soo-ho’s figure entered the Pitcher’s field of vision, filled with despair.
‘What—what is this? Why is the batter already heading toward Second Base?’
And yet, as if unsatisfied with that alone.
Soo-ho raced past Second Base toward Third Base.
“What, what are you doing! Hurry! Hurry, relay it!”
The Pitcher’s voice grew louder, his anxiety mounting.
The fact that the runner was advancing to Second Base already felt infuriating enough.
And now I had to watch him reach Third Base?
If a runner was on Third Base, even a sacrifice fly would result in another run scoring.
“Third Base! Throw to Third Base!”
As the Pitcher’s shouts grew more desperate, Soo-ho’s lips curved upward in a slow smile.
‘Yes. Throw to Third Base.’
The Right Fielder’s arm wasn’t particularly strong.
Throwing to Third Base would actually be an opportunity for me.
And a Right Fielder with a weak arm should normally throw to the Shortstop in this situation.
But because the Pitcher was pressing him, the Right Fielder ultimately caught the ball in front of the Fence and threw it toward Third Base.
Soo-ho confirmed the direction of the throw and drove harder with his lower body.
His feet showed no signs of stopping.
“Sh, Shortstop! What are you doing! Hurry!”
The Pitcher was blaming the Shortstop even though he himself had called for the throw to Third Base.
In the end, the Shortstop moved quickly and snagged the ball mid-flight toward Third Base.
At that moment, Soo-ho crossed Third Base.
Then, ignoring the Coach’s signal to stop, he sprinted toward Home Plate.
It was a reckless play, truthfully.
The Shortstop had just caught the ball.
But Soo-ho was certain.
‘I can definitely make it home.’
If they had executed a relay play from the start, I would have stopped at Third Base as well.
But because it wasn’t a relay play.
Because the Shortstop had caught the ball far outside his normal position.
‘He’ll have to throw off-balance.’
An off-balance throw couldn’t be accurate.
‘I know because I’ve played Shortstop often.’
Of course, if the player had overwhelmingly superior defensive skills, it would be different.
‘But this Shortstop certainly doesn’t.’
Soo-ho’s prediction was correct.
If the throw had been accurate, he would have been out at Home Plate.
But the throw didn’t even come close to the Catcher guarding Home Plate.
Soo-ho touched Home Plate effortlessly.
* * *
The Caster and Commentator screamed with veins bulging from their necks.
[A, a home run! It’s a home run! An, an inside-the-park home run!]
[Wow… I can only express amazement. He’s simply toying with this game.]
[That was an intentional steal, wasn’t it?]
[Yes. I was planning to run all the way home from the start. My speed increased as I advanced from Second Base to Third Base.]
[You mentioned this player has exceptional intelligence. That was truly a brilliant play.]
[Soo-ho’s first playoff home run, and his first home run of the season! He must feel incredibly proud of this magnificent play. Above all… the Sixty-Sixers had an unfortunate outcome today.]
Casey Meyer, standing in the On-Deck Circle.
He watched a home run completely different from the one he’d hit in the first inning—a home run born of pure talent.
This one, forged entirely from madness and calculation, he observed from beginning to end.
Perhaps that’s why.
His mouth hung open ever so slightly.
‘…That actually works?’
As Soo-ho passed him and tried to enter the Dugout, Casey unconsciously raised his hand.
Soo-ho laughed softly and met his palm.
Slap!
That sound was the signal.
“Wooooooo!”
The Dugout erupted.
The players rushed at Soo-ho in unison, pounding his helmet relentlessly.
“Insane! He actually turned those uncontrollable legs into a home run!”
“An inside-the-park home run? The other team must be devastated.”
Mark locked him in a headlock and ruffled his hair.
“You! You! Really! I… I’m speechless!”
It was truly a play that left one stammering.
Even Taylor couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his lips.
That moment had been absolutely spectacular.
It lifted the team’s momentum and completely shattered the opposition.
It was no exaggeration to call it the pinnacle of performance a player could deliver.
Truly.
By Soo-ho’s play, the opposing team was utterly demoralized.
The game ended 13:4.
A dominant victory for the Quakes.
And this momentum carried into Game Two.
8:1.
Since the Minor League Baseball uses a best-of-three format, the higher-seeded team typically hosts Games One and Two at home.
Yet they crumbled on their own field.
Soo-ho’s stats across two games: 5 hits in 9 at-bats.
A batting average of .556 with 1 home run, 5 runs scored, and 1 RBI.
Immediately after Game Two ended, the Locker Room was ablaze with fervent energy.
Players embraced one another and sprayed water from bottles in all directions, cheering wildly.
The listless attitude from before the playoffs began—grumbling about mandatory extra duty—had vanished without a trace.
Of course, this game didn’t yet guarantee them next year’s salary increases or promotions.
But none of that mattered.
We had won.
The sheer thrill of it—defeating the league’s strongest team on their home field with a perfect 2-0 sweep and advancing to the final round—was intoxicating.
These were professional players, after all.
Men who vastly preferred victory to defeat.
That was when the Locker Room door swung open and Taylor stepped inside.
His face bore a satisfied smile as he witnessed the players’ genuine cheers.
He cleared his throat.
“Attention!”
The clamorous Locker Room fell silent in an instant.
Every eye turned toward the Manager.
“You all performed excellently.”
Taylor swept his gaze slowly across the players as he continued.
“However, we still have the Championship Series ahead of us. Since we’ve come this far, I think winning it wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
The silence lasted only a moment.
“Let’s give it our all!”
Someone’s cry ignited the Locker Room once more, erupting into cheers.
Taylor nodded with satisfaction, then his gaze fixed on me.
“Come talk with me for a moment.”
I followed Taylor out of the Locker Room.
Our conversation took place just outside the Locker Room door.
“You played well. Honestly, we won because of you.”
“Thank you, Manager.”
“What? No modesty this time?”
Taylor had naturally expected modesty to follow.
It always had before.
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.
“Well, it’s the truth, so I can’t deny it. While I can’t accept excessive praise, I want to acknowledge what I did well and accept it as it is.”
“Good. That’s the right mindset. Anyway, I called you over because I had something to discuss.”
I asked silently with my eyes what that might be.
Taylor continued without hesitation.
“The players’ motivation is overflowing. But I don’t think this has changed their fundamental thinking. What do you make of it?”
I answered with a serious expression.
“You’re right, Manager.”
Taylor’s eyes widened in question.
“Huh? What?”
“They’re happy because the team won. But I don’t think they’ve yet developed the mindset to play for the team itself.”
I continued.
“We’ve advanced to the next round, and ultimately, they’ve also gained an opportunity to improve their statistics. That’s what they’re celebrating.”
“Is… is that so?”
There was still a note of doubt in Taylor’s voice.
As if to say it wasn’t intentional.
“So in the next round, I will try even harder to play with a heart devoted to the team, even if it’s just one more person.”
“W-what more could you do here?”
Wouldn’t it be better to just not do anything?
That’s what Taylor wanted to say.
Because what could it possibly mean to show more eagerness here?
‘It’s not like he’s going to throw his body around even more, right?’
Of course, had Soo-ho thrown his body around throughout both games?
No, he hadn’t.
In fact, such moments were rare.
Hustle play after a bunt single.
Then diving twice on defense?
That was it.
The inside-the-park home run could arguably be called throwing his body into it as well.
But truthfully, it wasn’t a nail-biting play.
The reason Soo-ho didn’t need to throw his body around after that was simple.
The game had already tilted in his favor.
The opposition had quickly surrendered to his performance.
To be precise, this playoff series wasn’t particularly important to many of the opposing players either.
So once the game had already swung in one direction,
it was only natural that the drive to catch up wasn’t overflowing.
As a result, Soo-ho had completely drained the opposition’s will to compete.
“Then I’ll go inside and finish preparing to leave.”
“Wait, hold on.”
Taylor grabbed Soo-ho.
For a moment, he’d nearly forgotten what he wanted to say, overwhelmed by the momentum.
“Regardless of the next game’s result, I’m planning to write you a letter of recommendation.”
“A letter of recommendation…?”
“Yes. Once the season ends, you’ll be heading to Arizona.”
Soo-ho’s expression brightened.
He was happy. Truly, genuinely happy.
Something he’d wanted so badly.
He had achieved his first goal.
To be honest, at first, the goal of participating in the Arizona Fall League had been half an illusion.
He’d simply set his sights high so he wouldn’t grow lazy.
In other words, it was to do his best.
But soon Soo-ho’s expression fell.
There was something he didn’t understand.
‘I haven’t completed my mission yet.’
So I considered asking Taylor about it.
But I decided against it.
‘Regardless of the outcome, I’ll complete the mission I’ve been given.’
I had no intention of glossing over what I didn’t understand.
Not that I was ever going to refuse the letter of recommendation.
Still, everything’s better when it’s clean and settled, right?
‘I’ll get at least one person to play for the team.’
This too was a goal I had to achieve.
Never letting even the smallest thing slip through carelessly.
It was a glimpse of his relentless determination.
Someone had overheard the final conversation between Soo-ho and Taylor from just outside the Locker Room door.
It was Casey Meyer, who had been gathering his things to board the bus first.
‘The Arizona Fall League?’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————